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Nats sign Shoppach to Minor League deal

Nats sign Shoppach to Minor League deal

5/27/13: Kelly Shoppach drills a solo home run to deep left off Clayton Richard to extend the Mariners' lead to 5-0 in the fourth

By Andrew Simon
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MLB.com |

The Nationals added some catching depth on Wednesday, signing veteran Kelly Shoppach to a Minor League deal and assigning him to Triple-A Syracuse.

The 33-year-old had been designated for assignment by the Mariners and then was released on June 20. He caught 35 games for Seattle this season -- starting 32 -- and hit .196 with a .293 on-base percentage and a .346 slugging percentage over 125 plate appearances. He hit three home runs, drove in nine and struck out 45 times.

Shoppach also has played for the Red Sox, Indians, Rays and Mets over nine big league seasons, hitting .224/.312/.413 with 70 home runs.

The Nationals have Kurt Suzuki as their primary catcher and Jhonatan Solano as their backup. Wilson Ramos has been on the disabled list with a hamstring injury since May 16. Ramos has been doing a Minor League rehab assignment and could return to the team on Thursday, likely bumping Solano back to Syracuse.

Andrew Simon is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @HitTheCutoff. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.